Forget Indica and Sativa - Ask About Terpenes

One of the many things that makes Colorado a great place to visit is legal marijuana. Before you make your purchase, it’s important to understand some basics about cannabis. Most dispensaries will categorize their marijuana offerings as either Indica or Sativa. But what does that mean?

Indica plants are short and bushy, and typically produce a sedating, full-body high.

Sativa plants are tall and thin, and typically produce a more uplifting, cerebral high.

In truth, most marijuana strains available for purchase will be hybrids of the two, so it’s important to ask about one other aspect of cannabis if you want a better idea of what kinds of effects a strain will produce: terpenes.

Terpenes are a class of aromatic organic hydrocarbons found in the essential oils of plants, including cannabis. These compounds give cannabis its ﬂavor and aroma, as well as some of the medicinal beneﬁts. Terpenes also play a role in the psychoactive effects resulting from cannabis consumption.This takes place via the entourage effect, which describes the interplay between speciﬁc cannabinoid and terpene compounds present in each strain.

Be sure to ask your budtender about terpenes when deciding which strain to buy. Once you learn whichterpenes produce the effects you’re looking for, it’s much easier to discover new strains you’ll enjoy.